Refrigerator car and the like



Jan. 19, 1937. l T. A. BANNING. JR 2,068,223

` REFRIGERATOR CARv AND THE LIKE Filed Sept. 29, 1933 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Jan. 19, 1937. T. A. BANNING. .JR

REFRIGERATOR' CR AND THE L'IKE 3 Sheets-Sheet Z Filed Sept. 29, 1930 Jan. 19, 1937. T. A. BANNING, JR

REFRIGERATOR CAR AND THE LIKE Filed Sept. 29, 1930 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 .wwwm @New Patented Jan. 19, 1937 UNITED STATES Price to Company,

Ware

Pullman-Standard Car Chicago, lili., a'corporation of Dela- Manufacturing Application vseptamlm 29, 1930, serial No. 485,170

A i claims.

The present invention has to do particularly p with improvements in the air conditioning and ventilation of cars and similar enclosures. More particularly, the invention has to do with improvements in thevrefrigerating or air conditioning of refrigerator cars, especially those which are used for shipment of fruits, meats, and other perishable commodities. The features-herein disclosed, and the construction herein illustrated and particularly described have been devised with a View especially to meeting the needs and conditions of refrigerator car construction and operation; but it will presently appear that certain of said features may also be advantageously used in connection with air conditioning and Ventilating other types of cars, such as, for example, sleeping ca-rs, passenger coaches, dining cars, parlor cars, observation cars, etc.; and certain of said features are also Well adapted for use in connection 20 with air conditioning and Ventilating other enf closures, such as rooms, auditoriums, etc. Therehfore, I do not intend tov limit myself particularly to the use and application of said features for vrefrigerator cars, except as I may do so in the claims, I

One of the features of the invention relates to an arrangement by means of which the car may be supplied with cold air for refrigeration purposes, said .cold air being generated directly by compression, cooling and expansion operations, without the necessity'of using any intermediate refrgerating medium lsuch as ammonia gas (NH3), carbon dioxide (CO2) sulphur dioxide (SO2) and other similar media. In'this connection, it is a further object of the invention to provide an arrangement whereby the power necessary to operate the compressor isderived directly from one ofthe axles ofa truck. In this connection, a further object in-some cases is to provide ratus for supplying the cold air may be mounted and carried directly by a cradle which is mounted directly on the truck itself, thus makingl it possible to drive said apparatus directly from the 45 axle-without complications due to turning of the trucks in taking curves, etc.

Another feature in connection with the foregoing is to provide a refrigerating system in which the cold fresh air is introduced into the lower portion of the car body at numerous points, continuously during the operation of the system, said cold air working upwardly through the car l body towards the roof thereof, and there is also provided means for permitting a corresponding exit or deliverance of the warmer air from the an arrangement in which the refrigerating appa-v upper portion of the interior of the car body. Inasmuch as the rate of circulation through the car body is relatively low, being only sufficient to maintain the desired refrigerating action in the case of a refrigerator car, the exits or delivery lopenings in the upper portion of the car may be made of relatively small size and extremely simple construction.' For these and other reasons it is unnecessary to provide hatches or similar openings in the roof of the car, thereby materially simplifying and reducing the cost of construction of th upper portion of the car- It is a further feature of the invention to provide an arrangement in which the interior of the car is practically unobstructed by any ventilating apparatus or pipes throughout its entire length, width, and height, and thereby leaving practically the entire interior dimensions of the car/available for the storage and transportation of pay freight. In this connection, the usual use of bulk-heads and similar structures for the support and carriage of such refrigeratingmedia as ice, dry ice, etc., is eliminated, and the entire interior of the structure from end to end is available for the carriage of pay freight.

Another feature of the invention relates to the provision of means for iltering the air which is sent into the car body, so" that dust and other foreign matter is removed from it. This will avoid objectionable accumulation of such 'material -Within the refrigerated space of the car body.

In thisconnection, the air filter construction is l such that it isre'adily accessible for purposes of cleaning or repairing it, the filter constituting a portion of the refrigerating unit and being located in a very accessible position. The arrangement is such that the filter can be readily reached and operated upon by a Vacuum cleaner or similar device for removing the accumulated dust from Atime to time.

In connection with the refrigerating unit it will -also be noted that the same includes a heat exchanger located between the air compressor and the air motor in which the compressed air is e'X- panded backy to atmospheric pressure. This heat exchanger serves the function of cooling the hot compressed airwithout lowering its pressure, l

so that when said compressed air is thereafter expanded in thel air motor it is greatly reduced in temperature by the expansion. This heat exchanger is cooled by a circulation of air from the outside of the refrigerating unit, and such cooling air in turn becomes substantially heated by exchange of heat. Another feature of the invention relates to the provision of an arrangement whereby the air connections leading into the car body may, if desired, be connected to this heat exchanger in such a way as to supply the interior of the car body with warm or hot air from the heat exchanger instead .of cold or refrigerated air from the refrigerating unit. Such operation will be performed, for example, in extremely cold weather, at which time it is not only unnecessary to refrigerate the interior of the car, but it actually becomes necessary at times to warm the interior of the car sumciently to remove the-chill inf order to prevent freezing of the contents of the car. Such result may be performed by the use of the present apparatus optionally with a very slight change in the connections for the air system.

In connection with the foregoing, it is also an object to provide means for filtering the air which is drawn over the heat exchanger so that when the `same is delivered to the interior of the car it will be clean and filtered as in the case of refrigerated air.

A further feature of the invention relates to an arrangement whereby the interior of the car may be precooled before the car is sent out on the road, thereby placing the interior of the car in the best possible condition to commence the journey, and at the same time relieving the refrigerating equipment on the car from the burden of having to lower the temperature of the interior of the car and the contents thereof to the desired temperature; such being the case the refrigerating equipment fon the car will only be required to maintain the temperature within the car at the lowered point thus established.

Another feature of the invention relates to the conditioning of the air priorl to introduction into the car body, said conditioning operation including the removal of moisture therefrom in some cases, and means -are also provided for regulating or controlling this operation.

Another feature relates to means for ensuring an introduction of cooled and conditioned air into the car body in such manneras to avoid sensible circulation or drafts and also in a very efficient and satisfactory manner.

Other objects and uses of the invention will appear from a detailed description of the same, which consists in the features of construction and combinations of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

In the drawings;

Fig. 1 shows a side elevation of the end portion of a refrigerating car, together with a truck provided with the refrigerating unit, and also shows the connectiony whereby the ducts of the car may be connected either to the refrigerating unit or to a precooling plant; l

Fig. 2 shows a cross-section through the c-ar body looking towards the truck which carries the refrigerating unit, being taken substantially on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1 looking in the direction indicated by the arrows, certain of the ducts of the car body being shown in dotted lines;

Fig. 3 shows diagrammatically a precooling plant arrangement including a track Whereon several cars are illustrated, together with a precooling refrigerating plant and the pipe connections for placing the several cars in connection therewith;

Fig. 4 shows diagrammatically a c-ar arrangement provided with the features of the present invention, the trucks and principal air ducts being shown in dotted lines.

Referring first to Figs. 1, 2 and 4, I have therein illustrated the features of the present invention as being applied to a refrigerating car. This carhas the sides 20 and 2l, roof 22, bottom 23 and ends 24 and 25. These parts are heat insulated in the usual manner, so that the car body constitutes in effect a heat insulated enclosure or chamber. The sides are provided with the usual doors, a portion of one of the same being shown at 26. These doors are also heat insulated, and provided with the usual latches or xtures whereby they are fastened in closed condition, and when so closed they complete the heat insulated enclosure of the body.

Inasmuch as the cold air for refrigerating the interior'of this heat insulated car body is derived from the lexterior of such body, the entire space within the body is available for receiving and performing its refrigerating and Ventilating acl tion, and it'is unnecessary to provide any hatches or openings in the roof ofthe car such as are used for introduction and adjustment of ice, in previous forms of refrigerator cars.

Extendinglongitudinally along the car are the cold air ducts or pipes 21 and y28. These are preferably located beneath the side walls of the car or close thereto; and these ducts are alsoV preferably heat insulated so as to prevent unnecessary loss of cooling eilciency of the cold air travelling in them. Reaching up from these ducts are the vertical standpipes 29. "Ihese are located close to the side walls, and preferably either Within the side walls, or close to the inner faces of said walls as illustrated in Fig. 2 in particular. These standpipes extend up the full hight of the interior of the car body, or a portion of said hight as illustrated, and they are l provided with openings 30 through which the cold air is delivered into the interior of theA car body. These openings are conveniently made in vthe form of thin slots such as shown, and preferably said slots slant upwards as shown so that the cold air as delivered will naturally tendV to settle down into the lower part of the car space. As the cold air accumulates within the car space it fills the latter and the warmer air is constantly displaced upwardly, until nally the entire interior of the car body is lled with air of the desired temperature. v

Thus the cold air is delivered laterally from the pipes and also downwardly into the body of the car; and due tothe fact that the pipes 29 are spaced along both sides of the car, or in two vrows at the sides of the center line of the car, and for the major portion of its length, it follows that a Very uniform introduction of the cold, conditioned air is produced. Furthermore the uppermost openings 30 are located above the center of the interior of the car body, so the cold conditioned air from them enters the upper porl tion of the space within the car. The so entering cold conditioned` air circulates into the body of the car and finally swings around into an upward movement and then circulates out from the upper portion of the car through the vent openings 32,

and from these openings it moves to the outside ofthe car to another disposal point.

There are one or more vents provided in the upper portion of the car body through which the warmer air is displaced and delivered out of the car body. These vents may be of convenient form, and maybe very simple since they serve merely to allow a constant outward delivery .of the warmer used air from the car body, such outward delivery being exactly in harmony with the introduction of the fresh cold air from the 'refrigerating unit. The form of vents shown comprise cross pipes 3l, preferably two in number, said pipes extending across the car body near the roof thereof, and said pipes being provided with numerous slits or openings 32 through which the warmer air enters the pipes 3l. The ends of these pipes 3l reach to the exterior of the car body, preferably terminating just outside of the walls 20 and 2l, and beingprovided with fixtures 33 on their outer ends. These fixtures 33 are preferably flattened out so that they provide the necessary cross-sectional area of opening through which the air is delivered to the outside of the car, and at the same time they do not project materially beyond the face of the car wall andare accommodated beneath the eaves of the car roof 36. The result is that the warmer airis delivered out of the car close to the roof thereof.

In practice, the stand pipes 29 may be placed at whatever spacing is decided on, but usually they will be placed relatively close together, say at spacings of eighteen inches to two feet throughout the length of the car. They can be made relatively small in size, say one or one and a half inches in diameter, since their number will provide the required amount of total cross-sectional area for conduction of the cold air in such volume as needed.

The central portions of the side pipes 2l and 28 are connected together by a cross pipe 35, preferably located under the middle of the car. This pipe 35 in turn receives cold air from a pipe 36 which extends to a point near one end of the car body, and the entire supply of cold air is delivered through the same. The end of this pipe 36 is provided with a flexible extension 3l which is in turn provided with an end nipple 38 which may be connected into the proper connection for receiving the cold air. The exible extension 3l may be of any suitable material, but preferably one which is a good insulator of heat, since thereby the loss of refrigerating 'efciency during passage of the air through the same is lowered. f

The truck at one end of the car is designated in its entirety by the numeral Q0. It is'provided with the side bar extensions il and 4t2 which carry the brackets i3 and 6d respectively. The rods i5 and d6 reach downwardly from these brackets, and said rods extend across the truck from one side to the other, the upper ends of the rods being pivotally connected to the respective brackets so that the rods can swing towards and from the body of the truck. A plate 4l is carried by these rods l5 and 46 and constitutes a platform or support for the refrigerating unit. The cradle asa unit is drawn forwardly from the truck frame. by means of a spring 48 .on a rod 49, which rod carries an adjustment nut 50 against which the spring presses. presses'y against a bracket 5l in the form of an extension from the frame of the truck. The result is that the spring tends to draw the cradle The other end of the spring' outwardly from the truck frame. The purpose of this is to keep the driving belt under tension, as will presently be apparent.

On the cradle is mounted an air compressor designated in its entirety by the numeral 52. The compressor illustrated is of the two cylinder type, and it has the usual spring seated inlet and delivery valves, the details lof which need not be enlarged on since this compressor as an element does not constitute a portion of my invention, but only in the various combinations hereinafter set forth. There is also an air motor 53 mounted on the cradle, preferably at the end opposite to that of the compressor. This air motor is of the two cylinder oscillating cylinder typethat isthe type in which the cylinders oscillate in proximity to stationary blocks through which the air is introduced to the cylinders, and from which the air discharged by the cylinders is taken. The motor cylinders are designated 5d and 55 respectively.

The motor and compressor shafts are connected together by a shaft l0 so that they are compelled to rotate in unison. This shaft l0 is illustrated as being an extension of the motor shaft, but manifestly it may be connected to the motor and compressor shafts by suitable couplings or otherwise and to truck axle il by driving belt l2.

There is a fan 'i9 placed on the shaft 'i3 which runs through the body of a heat exchanger 13, and this fan works within a shroud 8l! between the header i8 and the space around the tubes, so that the eliciency of the fan is improved, and a better draft of the air owing across the tubes is produced.

The air for the compressor is received into the same through an'lnlet or supply pipe 3 of large size; and the compressed air from the compressor is delivered through the pressure pipe 82 of smaller size, since the volume of the air has been reduced by the act of compressing it. yThe air is also delivered through the pipe 82 at high teml perature due to the compressing action. In fact,

in the case of a system operating with a compression of say, 60 lbs. per square inch pressure' and be delivered from the heat exchanger at that lowered temperature, but with its pressure still maintained at the full amount of 60 lbs. per square inch. The volume of the air will of course be reduced, depending on the amount of such cooling action. y f

The motor serves to takeout the work from the compressed air of reduced temperature, and thereby lower the pressure of the air back to atmospheric pressure, with corresponding lowering of the sensiblevheat of the exhausted air. In fact, the temperature'of the air delivered from the air motor will be very low, and in the caseassumed above it may be as much as zero F. or quite a number ofy degrees below zero. Consequently, the air exhausting from the air motor will be `at atmospheric pressure or slightly above, sumcient to ensure movement of the air through the ducts, and at a very llow temperature. These conditions are ideal for introduction into the bodyof the car for refrigerating purposes. The volume of air which will be delivered will depend on the rate of compressor and engine rotation.

The cooled air from the heat exchanger passes to the air motor through the pipe 83 of small size, and the expanded and cold air from the air motor is delivered from the same through the delivery pipe 84 of large size. fitting 85 to receive the end fitting 38 of the pipe 31, so that the two pipes 84 and 31 can be connected together merely by slipping these fittings together. They can likewise be disconnected very easily, but will remain in the connected condition with sufficient force to ensure proper operation until intentionally disconnected. 'In this connection it will be noted that the air pressure existing in these pipes is so low that they will not readily blow apart.

It will be understood that the air motor naturally has a certain direction of rotation under its own power when supplied with compressed air, and that when allowed to rotate in that direction it expands the air and delivers useful work to the shaft 63. This work will be delivered back to the compressor, and will correspondingly reduce the amount of work and power which must be supplied to the unit by the belt. i The direction of rotation of the compressor may be the same as that of the air motor, since the compressor will perform its compressing function in either direction `of rotation.

I have provided means for ltering the air drawn into the compressor so that the air delivered from the air motor will be clean and free of dust and other foreign matter. Such compressor filter is shown at ||8, being located directly in front of the compressor. I have also provided an air filter for removing dust and other foreign matter from the cooling air which is drawn into the heat exchanger by the fan '|9, such filter being designated ||9, and being located directly infront of the heat exchanger.

It will be'noted that the cooling air which flows over the tubes of the heat exchanger will be heated thereby, so that the air delivered .through the header 18 will be hot. In some cases it may be desired to supply heated air to the interior of the car body, as for example, in extremely cold weather, in order to prevent freezing of the contents of thek car. I have therefore provided a delivery connection |25 leading from the header 'I8 so that the heated air from the heat exchanger will iiow out through this connection. The cold air from the air motor will then be delivered to the outside atmosphere and the heated air from the heat exchanger will be delivered to the interior of the car body.

It may be desirable to provide Vfor automatic regulation of the temperature Within the car body. In this connection it will be noted that the rate of cold air delivery into theI car body will be dependent on the rate of car travel, in case the full volume of thecold air from the air motor is constantly delivered into the car body. I hav-e provided a valve |29 in the duct or passage 36, said valve including a side delivery connection'l30 through which the air or a por-- tion of the air flowing from the refrigerating unit may be delivered tothe4 outside atmosphere. This valve |29 is connected to a thermostat |3| located within the car body at the desired point,

. such connection being made by means of, the tube |32 in the usual manner, soy that the lopening This pipe 84 has on its end a the valve |29 delivers the full volume of air into the car body, but when the temperature falls below such amount the valve |29 delivers a portion or all of the cold air to the outside atmosphere instead of into the car body, therefore decreasing the cooling action to the proper amount.

The pipe section 31 may be so proportioned that it may be turned out to reach beyond the side of the car body and be connected to a precooling plant. In Fig. 3 I have shownseveral cars numbered |33, |34 and |35 located on the track |38 within or alongside of the housing |31. There is diagrammatically shown the refrigerating plant |38 which delivers cold air to the main |39, and said main is provided with connections |40, i4| and |42 corresponding to the various cars which are to be simultaneously pre-cooled. Each of these connections includes a valve |43 which delivers the cold air through a fiexible connection or pipe extension |44. These extensions |44 are provided with fixtures |45 to receive the nipples or sleeves 38 of the pipes 31 of the respective cars. The arrangement is therefore such that the refrigerating ducts of, the severm cars can be connected to the common cold air supply system, and by opening the valves. |43 the cars can be supplied with -cold air for the pre-cooling operation. During this precooling the cars should be shut up or closed so that there will be no wastage of the cooling eiect, and so that the incoming vcold air in each car will vdisplace the Warmer air therefrom through the pipes 3| and the vent fixtures 33 near the roof of the car.

As soon as the pre-cooling operation has been completed the nipples 38 of the different pipes 31 of the cars may be withdrawn from the pipes |44, the valves |43 having been closed, and then the nipples 38 may be connected into the cold air delivery fixtures 85 of the respective cars;

and the train may be sent out on the road and the refrigeratlng action will proceed in each car to maintain-the temperature thereof. at the desired low point. It is especially noted that during this precooling operation there is no wastage of the cooling action by cooling unnecessary portions of the cars, since the only portion of. each car subjected to the cooling action is the interior thereof, including the contents which should be cooled. Furthermore, this pre-cooling action proceeds in the same way, as far as th-e interior of the car is concerned, as the subsequent normal cooling action when o n the road. Y

The arrangement herein disclosed though pri marily intended for refrigerating car construction and refrigeration, may also be used to advantage for cooling and Ventilating other kinds and types of cars designed for the carrying. of passengers. In the present embodiment, the refrigerating action within the car is provided by introducing into the 4body of the car a supply of fresh air from the outside which is cooled by direct expansion and renders unnecessary the use of intermediate refrigerating means utilizing volatile liquidrmedia introduced into the car under pressure, whereby the need for high pressure pipes Within the car is dispensed with.

While I have herein shown and described only certain embodiments of my present invention, still I do not intend to limit myself thereto except as I may do so in the claims.

I claim: y

1. A car having a longitudinally extending conditioned air duct, a. series of vertically extending ducts located along the length of Ithe car and each vertical duct having one end in communication with said longitudinallyextending duct to receive conditioned air therefrom and having a delivery port adjacent to its other end, said port being located at least one half the height of the car interior above the floor of the car interior, there being an end partition at the end of each of said vertical ducts to prevent direct endwise discharge'of air from said vertical ducts into the interior of the car body, and said delivery port reaching sidewise and downwardly with respect to the vertical axis of the duct, to`

thereby ensure lateral and downward delivery of the conditioned air into the body portion of the car interior at a number of points along the ,interior of the car body and at points at least Yone half the height of the car interior above the oor thereof, substantially as described.

2. Means for supplying the interior of a car body with cooled and conditionedair comprising a plurality of vertically extending iixtures located in two longitudinal rows, one row at' each sidev of the medial plane of the car body and each o said fixtures having an end closure lying substantially in a horizontal plane and having a laterally and downwardly facing air delivery orice to deliver conditioned air laterally and downwardly into the body of the car, said end closures and said air delivery orices being located above the central plane of the interior of the car vbody in the upper half of the interior of the car body, together with a longitudinally extending conditioned air supply duct at each side of the medial plane of the car body in supply communication with the xtures at that side of the car and means for delivering conditioned air to said longitudinally extending ducts, wherebyl cooled and conditioned air is delivered laterally towards the central portion of the interior of the car body from a position at each side of the medial v plane of the car and above the central horizontal plane of the car interior, and temperature controlled valve means in circuit with said longitudinal ducts for regulating the supply of cold air and downwardly into the body of the car, to.

gether with a longitudinally extending conditioned air supply duct at each side `of the medial plane of the car body in supply communication with the iixtures at that side of the car and means for delivering conditioned air to said longitudinally extending ducts, whereby cooled and conditioned air is delivered laterally towards the .v

central portion of the interior of the car body from a positon at each side of the medial plane of the car, and temperature controlled valve means in circuit with said longitudinal ducts for regulating the supply of cold air from said 1ongitudinal ducts, substantially as described.

4. A refrigerating car comprising in combination a heat insulated'body which is substantially .air tight when closed, trucks therefor,

means on said trucks for delivering either hot or cold air to the car interior and maintaining a circulation of conditioned air through the car, said means comprising ducts supported by the car body and having openings sloped downwardly and directed .towards the lower interior portion of the car body at a large number of points distributed throughout thel interior portion of the car body thereby to insure a substantially uniform introduction of air towards the lower inu terior portion of said car body, vent openings extending from the upper interior portion of the Acar body permitting discharge of spent air therethrough, and means temperature controlled for introducing a supply of either hot or cold air into said ducts during car movement or cold air only during car movement and when car, is stationary. THOS. A. BANNING, JR. v 

